Spots of bother remain for all codes trying to clean up their acts

THE likelihood of results being rigged are slim these days - match-fixing has become more sophisticated than that. Fixing a match to ensure the desired team wins or loses is considered too difficult for many sports, due to the number of players required to corrupt it, but there are different ways to influence a game. A glance at the betting options available in Australia is indicative of this. As well as being able to bet on the result of a match, punters can bet on ''exotics'' on different sports. But, as one representative from an Australian-based bookmaker told Fairfax, the options available in Australia are ''nowhere near as varied'' as those offered by illegal international betting shops in the subcontinent, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

CRICKET

Nearly every betting shop in Australia, including those who are official partners of Cricket Australia, offer a range of different bet types. Among those available for the recent ODIs against Sri Lanka and West Indies are: highest opening partnership, total wides, fall of first wicket, total run-outs and head-to-head between batsmen. Punters betting on the total wides in an innings and fall of first-wicket options are not required to predict the exact number as the wager is laid on an over/under basis. A corrupt bowler could fix that result by deliberately bowling a certain number of wides. Similarly, an opening batsman could intentionally lose their wicket before the team reached a predetermined score. Australian bookmakers are not allowed to bet on when a no-ball is bowled, which is the scam which led to jail bans for Pakistan trio Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir. But there are illegal off-shore operators that operate books on no-balls, which provides an incentive for criminals to corrupt players.

RUGBY LEAGUE

There are markets available for Saturday's All Stars game ranging from the winner of the game to head-to-heads between players as to who can score more tries, and less well-known options such as the jersey of the first try-scorer. Wagers can also be laid on whether the first try scored in each half is converted. Leading the designated goalkicker astray would therefore be of considerable interest for criminals. Punters can also bet on whether the first scoring play will be a try, penalty or field goal.

AFL

The first goal-scorer option is one of the most controversial available in the AFL due to the unpredictable starting positions of some players. Any punter who learns of a defender starting in attack as part of a tactical ploy could then take advantage of the inflated odds. There was considerable angst for the league in 2011 when Collingwood pair Nick Maxwell and Heath Shaw were sanctioned by the AFL for sharing inside information with friends and family.

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FOOTBALL

Football is considered as one of the easier sports to fix a result due to its relatively low scoring. Referees were among the 425 people suspected by Europol of having manipulated 380 suspicious matches in Europe and another 300 around the world - and it's not difficult to see why. Punters can bet on whether penalties and red cards are awarded, which are at the discretion of the whistleblower. Often the incidents are contentious enough for a referee to justify their decision. Bets can also be laid on whether a player will score and the timing of goals.